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Origins of Modern Contemporary Art
A Study in the Origins of Modern Art Era The Second Industrial Revolution In the late 1880's the second industrial revolution was underway. The world was changing with the inventions of the telegraph, telephone, radio and vast new technologies available at home and at the workplace. World War I created changes in politics and philosophies. The movement can be called a departure from traditions whereas art was made improvisational. “Jean-Jacques Rousseau rejected the separation between performer and spectator, life and theatre.[23] Karl Marx posited that art was a consequence of the class system and therefore concluded that, in a communist society, there would only be people who engage in the making of art and no "artists".[24]”(Wikipedia, 2013) In Visual Arts. ''' In the late 1800's, the Post-Impressionist movement had changed the way that the world would see art. Van Gogh, Paul Cezzane, and other artist had evolved the definition of art into a departure from the traditional aesthetic of Renaissance Art. By creating cubism, Dadaism and "ready-made" art it was an experimentation of what art really was or wasn't. The artists of the time were exploring and connecting ideas from science and technology into their works of art. '''The Society of Independent Artist Started in France in 1884, the Society of Independent Artist showed art by Avant Garde artist that included Marcel DuChamp, Pablo Picasso and Matisse. In the United States, The Armory Show was the first of its kind that brought European artworks and American artworks under the same roof. Marcel DuChamp's "ready-made" art entitled "Fountaine" was showed and viewed not as a stroke of genius but as an insult to art. "Nude Descending a Staircase No. 2" also by DuChamp was criticized for its futurism, motion, and lack of apparent finish. American Sculptor Alexander Calder was the creator of “Mobiles” and “Stables”. He created art from sheet metals, paint, and electric motors. He also used found objects as part of his collages. ' ' In Music, The changes in technology allowed for the amplication of sound and voice. New technologies were used to make music portable and to mix and master the original songs. Ella Fitzgerald sang the Jazz standards creating scat singing and transitioned into singing pop vocals in her long career. Elvis Presley married Country music and African Soul to be the original Rockabilly. The biggest change in music was the use of technologies to enhance, change, distort sounds and record music making it available for more of society to enjoy at home. Television brought music into the homes of millions of people around the world. American Bandstand, Soul Train, Top of the Pops are just a few of the music television shows that have been viewed around the world for decades. In Dance, Modern Dance refers to a fusion of music and freeform movement. The departure from the stress of dance from the legs as in ballet, for use of upper body and arms for a more fluid movement. The movement has changed as the music has also changed with different fusion genres of music. One of the first dancers to depart from the traditional dance was Isadora Duncan, an American Classical Ballet dancer who rejected ballet choosing freeform dance which was in her view an expression of emotion and natural body movement. Many genres of music have spawned dance movements such as hip hop dance, country line dancing, swing dancing, and disco. In Drama, Modern theater occurred as a social and cultural answer to the changing world. Some theater was a departure from traditional Greek and Roman Theater. Modern Drama or theater productions changed to include social and political issues, satires, and improvisational acts. Vaudeville acts became more of a commonplace. Many different acts strung together for a night of entertainment. Burlesque was an answer to the changing social morals and attitudes of the time. Technologies allowed for sound, lighting and syncing of it all together. Technology also allowed for moving stages and making stages portable and easy to change and adapt to new acts. References: Calder Foundation. (2013). Calder Work. Retrieved from http://www.calder.org/ MarcelDuchamp.net. (2013). Duchampian images. Retrieved from http://www.marcelduchamp.net/marcelduchamp_images.php Theater Seat Store. (2012). Online Guide to the History of Theater. Retrieved from http://www.theaterseatstore.com/theater-history-guide Wikipedia.org. (2013). 20th Century Music. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/20th-century_music Wikipedia.org. (2013). Fountain(DuChamp). Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fountain_(Duchamp) Wikipedia.org. (2013). Modern Art. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modern_art Wikipedia.org. (2013). Modern Dance. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modern_dance